Chieftain coach praises offensive line for efforts

Wednesday

Nov 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 28, 2007 at 7:40 AM

It goes without saying that offensive line is not one of the glamour positions in football. There are no statistics about how many blocks a guard had or how many times the quarterback did not get sacked. However, the linemen are the guys that do the dirty work, the battling in the trenches, and the other tough stuff so the running backs and quarterbacks can do their jobs and get all the headlines.

Steve Kendall/Correspondent

It goes without saying that offensive line is not one of the glamour positions in football. There are no statistics about how many blocks a guard had or how many times the quarterback did not get sacked. However, the linemen are the guys that do the dirty work, the battling in the trenches, and the other tough stuff so the running backs and quarterbacks can do their jobs and get all the headlines.

This year’s Nashoba line is no different. Tackles Matt Murray and Dan Trefry, guards Joe O’Loughlin and Ryan Williams, and center Nick Trueblood have done their job all year, which is why people read and hear all about the exploits of running backs Travis Patterson, Dustin Greene and Alex Warila as well as quarterback Tom Quinn.

But make no mistake about it, if it were not for the line, no one would be celebrating Patterson’s record-setting season or the Chieftains’ share of the Division 1 West title.

“I cannot say enough about how our lines played this season,” Nashoba coach Ken Tucker said. “They have gelled into an amazing group. Their work ethic and dedication and execution have made us a very good offensive football team the last few weeks.”

The line, as it did against St. Peter-Marian and Oakmont, dominated on Thanksgiving Day. The Chieftains gained over 300 yards for the third straight game, rolling to a 28-6 win over North Middlesex.

Trueblood knows how important it is for the line to come out and establish its dominance early in the game. The Chieftains put together long drives to score on their first three possessions against SPM, then scored on its first two possessions against North Middlesex on Turkey Day. Those long, methodical drives not only wear down opponents physically, but also mentally.

“We want to run the ball and make the other team’s defense stay on the field as long as we can,” Trueblood said. “When we score, it hurts the other team even more. You can see the defensive linemen getting tired and not wanting to be on the field.”

On Thanksgiving, Patterson was once again the main beneficiary of the outstanding blocking of the line. Patterson ran for over 100 yards for the third straight game, gaining 163 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 21 carries. He finished the year with 1,403 yards and 14 touchdowns. The yardage total surpassed the school record of 1,330 by current assistant coach Jarrod Gomes in 1999.

Patterson wasn’t the only Chieftain who benefited from the strong line play. Quarterback Tom Quinn had a great year running and throwing the ball, scoring six rushing touchdowns while completing over 50 percent of his passes. Alex Warila finished the year with 587 yards, while fullback Dustin Greene was over 500. In total, Chieftain backs gained over 2,800 yards during the season.

Ironically, the unit that dominated teams at the end of the year wasn’t the same group that opened the season 11 weeks ago in Westboro. A season-ending injury to Rodney Leach forced Tucker to move things around. Trueblood moved from tackle to center, while O’Loughlin moved from center into Leach’s guard position. Murray, who had been playing tight end, volunteered to move to tackle. His brother, Paul, went in at tight end to fill Matt’s spot.

Since then, the line has improved virtually every week, culminating in the three-game win streak to end the year that saw the Chieftains dominate on the ground.

“Those guys have been great – they have developed into an outstanding offensive line,” Tucker said. “We have talented backs, but without this line, we don’t have the type of season we did. They deserve a lot of the credit.”

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